I recently held a reception in my studio for members of the St Ives Rotary Club. John Hancock, Chairman of their community Services presented me with a cheque for £250 to help with the cost of sending the five panels, 'Where Their Footsteps Left No Trace', ( behind the group in the photo above ) to Ground Zero New York to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

The exhibition 'Looking Forward Looking Back ' opened for two weeks at the Crypt Gallery St Ives on Saturday 4th. June with the prime intention of showing the "Evilution' panels before their departure to Ground Zero, New York to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11. The show also featured a number of other works including a series of small constructions using fragments of poems, old photos and ephemera relating to the Western Front trenches of the First World War. The Revd. Canon Philip Lambert of Truro Cathedral spoke of the remarkable spiritual journey the panels had made and John Hancock of the St Ives Rotary Club echoed those sentiments adding that he hoped the exhibition would help to raise the neccessary funds to get the panels to New York and back. It was also the 30th anniversary of my first solo exhibition which was held at the former Salthouse Gallery ( just a few yards away !! ). A selection of landscape related works from those thirty years were also on show. I spent each day in the gallery and in addition to many interesting conversations, witnessed many moving reactions to the panels. I am pleased to say that by the end of the exhibition there had been 1300 visitors and fundraising was on target.

Planned shows for panels

The panels are now back in my studio having spent a year in Coventry Cathedral. Judging by the moving comments and messages I've received they have once again touched the hearts and minds of a great many people. I am now busy packing them again as on Monday the 18th 0f April they will be on show in the Gallery at St Paul's School, Lonsdale Road, Barnes, London SW13 for four days ( Mon - Thurs. 10 - 5 )). This will be to promote their exhibition in New York so I hope to be meeting representatives of the national media as the result of a recent press release. The object is to raise the profile of the project which may attract funding and/or sponsorship to meet the cost of crating, air freight, insurance and travel in both directions (estimated between £5000 & £6000 ). Anyone wishing to help out or advise can contact me by e-mail at roy.ray@virginmedia.com or roy.beryl@virgin.net I will be with the panels each day and will be pleased to discuss the Project with anyone who comes along

My trip to Ground Zero last month was successful and enabled me to meet Father Madigan of St Peter's Church where the panels will be installed. Beryl and I stayed with Susan, widow of Cornish born 9/11 hero Rick, who is organising a reception there on July 30th. I also met retired New York fireman Danny Prince who is helping to build a screen for the panels in the entrance to the Church

Looking to the future, I have a two-week solo exhibition at the Crypt Gallery St Ives opening on Saturday June 4th. This will be partly retrospective as, in addition to the Evilution panels and related works, there will be paintings and collages from my 30 year involvement with the primeval landscape of West Cornwall. More about that next time.

Christian CND weekend

On Saturday 30th. October the Christian CND celebrated their 50th. Anniversary with a Pilgrimage to Peace in Coventry Cathedral. I gave a talk on my Evilution Project alongside the panels followed by a collage workshop entitled 'Peace by Piece'. I'm pleased to say all the participents, none of whom had any previous experience, took home a finished and mounted piece of work. (see photo)

I understand the panels will remain in the Cathedral for a while longer so they will be there this coming weekend which the seventieth anniversary of the destruction of St Michaels Cathedral and the City Centre during the Blitz.

Ground Zero 2011

September 11 2011 will be the tenth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Centre. This week I have received an invitation from Father Kevin Madigan to exhibit the panels 'Where Their Footsteps Left No Trace' in St Peters Church, Manhattan, New York City,( above) as part of the commemoration of that dreadful event. The panels, one of which is dedicated to the innocent victims of the attack, are currently in Coventry Cathedral. Once again it seems that the panels are on a journey of their own (although much needs to be done in terms of organising and fund raising). More information will be in future Blogs.

Hiroshima group at Coventry

I recently made another trip to Coventry Cathedral to meet a group of Japanese visitors. The group with their English hosts, were from Hiroshima and included a number of survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing of that city. During their tour of the old Cathedral ruins and the new Cathedral they gathered round my installation where I gave them a short introduction to my Evilution Project. A number seemed quite moved by one of the panels, which is dedicated to the Hiroshima victims.

Dresden Choir at Coventry

On Easter Monday I attended a concert by the choir of the Frauenkirche Dresden. Considered to be one of the best choirs in Europe, they performed a selection of early and contemporary works. At the end of the concert they processed to the Baptistry where around 300 people gathered to hear them perform a further and moving work alongside my installation 'Where Their Footsteps Left No Trace'.